Lyrica for severe chronic sciatica?

Hi BamaGirl56, welcome to the forum. I would certainly give Lyrica a try, it couldn't hurt. Often drs will rx Gabapentin or Cymbalta because they are cheaper & is what insurance will pay for. In the past I've read some good posts from people on Lyrica not only for treating nerve type pain but back issues also.

Good luck with your PM dr appt & keep us posted on how you do with Lyrica. Take care.

Sorry to disagree, but I had bad reactions to Lyrica and gabapentin, and I had an awful time getting off them after being on them for months. They didn't do anything for any of my pains either. Just my experience, not everyone's. Gabapentin stopped my breathing once and I had to go cold turkey, which was horrendous - severe pain, like addiction withdrawal.

I would see the pain doc before jumping to an addictive drug, and try to find the real, exact cause of the sciatica. I've had it several times and was usually helped with a cortisone injection in a hip bursa. Spinal injections have helped my sciatica and other spine-related pains also. Cortisone reduces inflammation.

I've been refusing MJ for a couple of years also. It may help with peripheral neuropathy, but I haven't read any scientific proof that it works with "real" pain not caused by neuropathy, like surgical pain or broken bones.